


Paradise Lost

by writersstudy



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: A couple of semi-violent deaths, Choking, Drowning, Kissing, M/M, Pirates, Sirens, Technically murder I guess, non-sexual choking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2019-04-07 04:41:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14073105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writersstudy/pseuds/writersstudy
Summary: When something of Hyungwon's gets stolen, he swims across the ocean to get it - and the man that took it from him.





	Paradise Lost

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dirtyretro](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dirtyretro/gifts).



> Title from Paradise Lost (which is technically by GaIn, but I'm listening to the Mixnine version while writing this)
> 
> To my recipient: I loved writing this! Hopefully, this fulfilled what you wanted? This was a really enjoyable world to build and I'm glad I got to write this for you!

Three days. Hyungwon’s brother was going to kill him. He had been following a ship full of pirates for three days through dangerous waters in pursuit of a trident that didn’t even have that much magic. Hyungwon, however, grew angrier and angrier with every stroke of his fin. How had he even let this happen? Well, it started with a shipwreck.

_If there was one name that everyone south of the tide feared, it was Chae Hyungwon. He was the most daring scavenger in the Twin Kingdoms. He would brave shipwrecks while their victims were still alive and kicking, just to find the freshest artifacts, and they would disappear just as quickly. If there was something you needed, you could almost guarantee that Hyungwon would have it. Anything from jewelry to weapons to human children. Whatever you needed, it was there. Of course, there was always a price, but he usually didn’t charge anything too difficult._

_“Hyungwonnie, there’s a new wreck out on the island,” his brother said as he breezed into the small cave. Hyungwon groaned as he sat up from his chair, stretching his back. He grabbed his trident from where it sat by the door and his enchanted net._

_“Be careful,” the older siren warned him, “I’ve heard that the Interstellar is in the area.” Hyungwon scoffed. The Interstellar. No matter where you travelled, the name would instantly strike panic into the eyes of whoever you saw. It as a ship full of formidable pirates, and they weren’t afraid to loot even their dead comrades for gold. Hyungwon, though, wasn’t convinced._

_“Pirates are weak,” he said dismissively, “I’ll be back in a few hours.” With that, he swam out of the cave and off toward the island._

_They called it an island but it was really just an outcropping of rocks. It used to be a volcano, but said earth form had long since collapsed, leaving just a dangerous caldera. It was the site of most of Hyungwon’s finds - and most of his injuries._

_He swam up on the newest wreck, poking around carefully to see what he could find. It seemed to be a merchant ship, one of commodities rather than luxuries, so Hyungwon knew he wouldn’t find much of value. He was about to start digging when a large shadow fell over him and an anchor narrowly missed his head. With a curse, Hyungwon darted off to hide behind an outcrop. He pulled himself onto the back of the rock and watched the new ship with narrowed eyes. The men on board darted around, tying ropes, pulling sails, and eventually lining up to face their captain._

_“Jooheon and Yoonho, I want you in the water. Whatever you find you’ll send up to myself and Kwangji,” the captain ordered, “the rest of you remain on standby. Changkyun, you’re in charge of keeping us in this spot. Dismissed!” The captain finally turned in his direction and Hyungwon’s eyebrows lifted. So this was the mighty Interstellar. The captain was a man named Shownu, who was rumored to have arms the thickness of a tree - not that Hyungwon knew what those were - and the ability to stare a singing siren in the face without being charmed. He was a dangerous man and the siren knew he couldn’t make himself known so long as the ship was there. The pirates themselves may have been weak, but their spears certainly weren’t._

_Hyungwon leaned forward, peering around the rock to try and see just what the pirates were finding, when his trident suddenly slipped loose. He dove to the side to catch it, but he wasn’t fast enough. The current caught it before he even got close and he watched it slip out to sea, bobbing and dipping before catching between a board and a rock, right in the middle of the wreck. Silently fuming, Hyungwon stayed put, hoping that the pirates left without seeing it. However, luck was not on his side._

_“Hey, look at this!” one of the men yelled, clambering through the wreckage until he reached Hyungwon’s trident. He picked it up and it gleamed despite the cloudiness of the sky._

_“What is it, Jooheon-ah?” the captain called from the deck. The man named Jooheon held the trident over his head._

_“It’s a siren’s trident!” he called back, “this’ll get us enough to restock for months!” The captain took hold of the rope keeping this Jooheon tethered to the ship and reeled the sailor back in. He and another sailor hauled the other diver back in as well._

_“Good job, Jooheon-ah,” the bulky man praised, receiving a brilliant dimpled smile from the sailor, “alright, boys, let’s set sail for Incheon!” Hyungwon, fuming, slipped under the water and through the rocks until he was swimming alongside the massive ship. He had to figure out how to get that trident back. If he lost its power, then he lost everything._

Hyungwon didn’t understand it. How was it possible that his singing had no effect on the captain whatsoever? He’d tried to sabotage him that very first night as the Interstellar floated through the waves, but the captain hadn’t even acknowledged that he was there until one of the other sailors had come stumbling out of the cabins in a frenzy and had tried to launch himself overboard. He’d woken everyone up then and ordered them all to sleep with wax in their ears. He’d taken the next few nights by himself, but had eventually started assigning other sailors to night shift again. Hyungwon didn’t know much about sailing, but he knew that a watchman needed to have at least one ear unblocked in case of an attack or bad weather. This was his chance to finally get the trident back.

“ _Maybe we need_ ,” he crooned, “ _just a little more time_.” The man at the helm of the shipped visibly stiffened. Hyungwon continued singing as he slowly swam toward the boat. He nearly got through an entire verse before the sailor cracked.

“I know you’re n-not Yoosu,” he stuttered, gripping the railing tightly.

“And yet,” Hyungwon hummed out, “you’re going to do what I ask.”

“What do you want?” the sailor asked warily.

“I want my trident,” Hyungwon said, lifting himself out of the water onto a rock. The man shook his head and the siren’s soft smile turned angry.

“Get me my trident,” he commanded, “or you will be very sorry.” The man only shook his head again, so Hyungwon started singing again. He sang loud and with a fiery passion until the man finally launched himself overboard with a cry of his lover’s name. He hit the water, kicking his legs to stay afloat, but Hyungwon was faster. He grabbed the man by the ankles and dragged him down, down, down, until he stopped kicking altogether.

_Poor Yoosu_ , Hyungwon thought as the dragged the man back to the surface and laid him across the rock. The crew would have a lovely surprise when the sun rose. Hopefully, the seagulls wouldn’t peck out his eyes before then.

Hyungwon woke up to a sweet cry of despair.

“Kwangji! Captain, Kwangji jumped!” Hyungwon kept himself mostly concealed, allowing just the top of his head to bob above the water as he watched the crew come and collect their dead. The captain seemed particularly angry.

“That damn siren is still around here somewhere,” he said, voice shaking with anger, “I want it found.” Hyungwon smirked to himself and floated out from behind his rock.  
“Captain, there!” one of the sailors shouted, although it was unnecessary.

“Send Yoosu-ssi my condolences,” Hyungwon said with a toothy smile, tilting his head.

“What do you want, sea-demon?” the captain yelled.

“I believe you have something of mine,” Hyungwon replied, expression becoming serious as he crossed his arms. The captain had the nerve to laugh.

“You think you’re getting that back? After killing my first mate?”

“Your first mate killed himself,” Hyungwon said calmly, “if anything, I saved him by giving you the chance to bury him properly. For a sailor, he was a very weak swimmer.” The captain made to lunge for Hyungwon, but Jooheon held him back at the last moment.

“Come near my men again and it’ll be your head on my sword,” the captain yelled, “mark my words, siren!”

“The name’s Hyungwon,” the siren called back as the crew began to row back to their ship, “see you tomorrow!”

That night saw Jooheon on deck with a member of the crew that Hyungwon didn’t recognize. He lurked in the water near the rudder, waiting for a moment to strike. Jooheon was at the helm and the boy up on the crossmast when Hyungwon realized that one of them had wax in his ears. The other was looking for him.

“Leave us alone, siren,” the man - no, boy - called out, “I know you’re still following us.” Hyungwon hummed lightly, floating on his back in the calm water. He didn’t say anything, waiting for the boy to work himself up.

“Personally, I thought we should give the trident back to you, but that’d be mutiny and you did kill Kwangji hyung,” the boy said, “seems like a fair trade to me now, I guess.” Hyungwon still didn’t say anything, choosing to start singing a soft lullaby instead. He floated alongside the ship, singing softly to himself. Suddenly, he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye.

The boy had fallen from the mast.

“Changkyun!” he heard Jooheon shout as he rushed to peer over the edge into the dark water. Hyungwon quickly swam over to where the boy was floating face down, his head bent at an odd angle.

“Siren!” Hyungwon glanced up quickly when he heard a click and found a pistol aimed at his face.

“I didn’t do this!” he said quickly, raising one hand and using the other to keep Changkyun near him, “at least not intentionally. I didn’t know he could hear me!”

“Captain!” Jooheon yelled, “Hyunwoo hyung!” There were a few thuds before the captain suddenly appeared next to Jooheon, still in his sleep clothes.

“Jooheon, get me a net,” he said, voice deathly still.

“I really didn’t do this on purpose!” Hyungwon protested, “I think he hit his head on the way down and broke his neck. I wasn’t trying to make him fall asleep!” Jooheon returned with the net and he and the captain cast it over the side together. Hyungwon dove under the water to avoid it, but found that the two were merely trying to retrieve Changkyun’s body.

“I would rather see your trident destroyed than ever return it to you,” the captain, Hyunwoo, said after a moment. With that, he left Hyungwon alone, bobbing in the water and wondering if this was really worth it.

Hyungwon had fallen asleep clutching to the rudder and was awakened by shouting.

“In two days time, we will arrive at Incheon!” the captain was shouting. Hyungwon floated along the side of the ship, trying to hear better.

“Think of the meat you can buy with an item like this,” Hyunwoo yelled, holding the trident aloft, “of all of the drinks we can buy in honor of Changkyun and Kwangji! And think of the bounty we’ll fetch for a silenced and murderous siren! Together, we’ll never go hungry again!” Hyungwon’s blood ran cold then boiled over. Apparently, these arrogant sailors hadn’t learned about sirens who held grudges.

“Captain, let me take the watch tonight,” he overheard Jooheon saying a few hours later, “I want to catch that damn siren myself.” The captain agreed and Hyungwon grinned to himself.

For the first time, the ship dropped anchor at night. Hyungwon took the chance to tug on the anchor chain, getting the attention of the sailor on deck. Jooheon peered over the side, sneering when he saw Hyungwon in the water below.

“I have a proposal,” the siren called.

“No,” Jooheon cut him off, “I won’t stand for any more of your tricks.” Hyungwon barely avoided the net that came flying down. At least, he thought he did. He tried to swim out of range, but found that the end of his tail was caught. With an angry snarl, he tugged harshly, but rather than freeing himself from the net or the net from the ship, he sent Jooheon toppling over the side. The sailor thrashed in the water, trying to get out of his own net. Quickly, Hyungwon flipped his tail, ensnaring the sailor even further. He dragged Jooheon over and slammed him against the side of the ship.

“You have no idea what kind of forces you’re messing with, Jooheon-ah,” Hyungwon snarled, injecting as much hatred into his voice as possible, “and all for some meat. I’ve heard about this ship. You’re far from starving on the Interstellar.” Jooheon opened his mouth to reply, but Hyungwon didn’t give him the chance, closing a scaly hand over his throat instead. The sailor choked, grabbing at the siren’s arm in an attempt to pull him off.

“This is all your fault,” Hyungwon taunted, “didn’t your mother ever teach you not to play with things that aren’t yours?” Jooheon shook his head frantically, still trying to pry Hyungwon’s fingers off of him.

Hyungwon took pity on Jooheon though. He was obviously young, and babied by the rest of the crew. He sang him to sleep with a soft lullaby and rearranged the net to wrap around him like a shroud, detangling his own tail in the process. Technically, if the rest of the crew woke early enough, they’d be able to save him before he suffocated, but if not, then Hyungwon wasn’t really at fault.

Hyungwon tossed the end of the net up toward the ship, trying to catch it on a rope cleat, but a hand shot out and caught it instead. Hyunwoo’s face appeared over the side of the ship and Hyungwon begrudgingly helped him lift Jooheon out of the water.

“He’s not dead,” Hyungwon mumbled, “just asleep.”

“I know,” Hyunwoo said as he laid the boy down on the deck and loosened the net, “you’re surprisingly gentle for a siren.” Hyungwon scoffed in offense.

“Sirens are not a violent species,” he said defensively, “many of the stories you’ve heard are of sailors who tried to destroy our homes or kill us. Our magic is a defense against the brutality of humans. It is not our fault you are so blinded by love.” Hyunwoo leaned on the railing of the ship, looking at Hyungwon as if he was seeing him for the first time.

“Is the trident really this important to you?” he asked.

“It is the key to my abilities,” Hyungwon said, “without it, I am weak. Already, even though I am in its vicinity, my magic isn’t as strong. The lullaby I sang to Jooheon should have killed him at such a close range, but he’s merely unconscious and half of that is from me choking him. Without my magic, I can’t defend myself.”

“You were powerful enough when you targeted Hoseok and Kwangji,” the captain argued.

“That was the first few nights, and those were love songs and songs of grieving. They are much stronger than just a lullaby. Hoseok - I assume he is the one that tried to jump on the first night - was blinded by love and grief. He likely lost a partner recently, probably to death,” Hyungwon explained, “and Kwangji was taken over by love and longing. It helps me that sailors are away from their loved ones for so long. Exhaustion, they are used to, but emotions like love and grief, they’ll suppress until they’re no longer familiar.”

“I have never heard a siren’s song,” Hyunwoo said into the quiet, “but I think I may soon. Let me get the gold from your trident and I’ll steal it back. You have my word.”

“How good is the word of a pirate, really?” Hyungwon questioned.

“You spared my sailor,” Hyunwoo said as he stood up straight, “for that, I am in your debt. I have never let a debt go unpaid and I don’t intend to change that.” With that, he left Hyungwon alone for the second night in a row. A few moments later, the empty net was tossed over the side. With a small smile, Hyungwon grabbed hold of it and let himself fall asleep.

The crew seemed appropriately relieved to no longer be the target of a begrudged siren. Instead, Hyungwon would hum them happy songs during the day, giving them enough energy to do their work without compelling them to jump overboard. It was only another day before they docked at Incheon and Hyunwoo left the ship with the trident, promising to have it back within the next two days. Hyungwon hid himself behind the dangling net with a small smile.

When the captain returned, he had a small pouch of coins and a large butcher’s package under his arm. The crew all cheered when they saw the meat.

“Hyungwon-ah!” the captain called, leaning over the edge of the ship as the crew took the meat to cook it.

“How much did it get you?” the siren asked, a little petulant. He still wasn’t entirely trusting that he’d get it back.

“How long can you be out of water?” Hyunwoo asked, ignoring his question.

“I can’t,” Hyungwon said, “just my upper body.” The captain turned away from the railings, shouting orders to his crew. Within minutes, there was a rowboat crashing into the water near Hyungwon. It had a pail inside.

“It’s been days since you’ve eaten, I bet, and you’re the reason we even have fresh meat to begin with,” Hyunwoo called down, “fill ‘er with as much water as you need and come eat with us.” Hyungwon did so cautiously, not entirely sure that this wasn’t a trap, but the captain was so oddly adorable when asking him to eat with the crew that he decided to ignore his own instincts.

Fortunately, it paid off. Hyungwon was rewarded with the best cut of the meat and some great conversation. Eventually, as night fell, the crew tapered off until it was just the siren and the captain left.

“What kind of song would you sing for me?” Hyunwoo asked, peering into his empty soju bottle. Hyungwon, laying on his back in the water in the boat, sighed as he thought.

“To get you to jump? Probably something about loneliness,” he said wistfully, “it seems to suit you the best.” Hyunwoo dropped the empty bottle to the floor and leaned back in his chair, staring at the sky.

“In fishing towns, they always take the kids to the siren encampments near the docks and get the sirens to sing happy songs to the them,” he said, seeming to reminisce for a moment before continuing, “I never heard a song on those days. I never knew my parents enough to love them, and I was too shy to make friends. I have also never been in love. At some point, I began to blame sirens for my lack of relationships, but it was really just me, never getting close enough to someone.” Hyungwon hummed lightly, a calming tune.

“You’ll make a good husband, if you ever give up the pirating gig,” he said, “I can see how much you care for this crew. A true family man, Son Hyunwoo.” The captain snorted and sat up, leaning his elbows on the table.

“That won’t happen,” he said sadly, “I’m married to the sea, and if I wasn’t, it wouldn’t be a woman I would consider.”

“I guess we’re more similar than you think,” Hyungwon said, closing his eyes. They didn’t say anything else. Hyungwon woke up a few hours later to find himself submerged in fresh water.

“I’ve been keeping eyes on the merchant I sold the trident to,” Hyunwoo said to him a few days later, “he’s packing up today, so I’m going to get it back before he leaves.”

“Good luck,” Hyungwon said, “I'm going to apologize to Jooheon today now that he’s stopped avoiding me.” Hyunwoo laughed and wished the siren good luck before walking down to the dock.

Hyungwon didn’t want to mention it, for fear of the pirates suddenly becoming hostile, but he was grower weaker than he let on. His singing of a lullaby had barely managed to make those around him tired, let alone put them to sleep. If he didn’t get his trident within the day, he wasn’t sure that he would have any magic left when he woke up.  
He was growing physically weaker as well. He hadn’t asked the crew to put him back in the water yet, because he wasn’t sure that he’d be able to keep himself afloat if they did. He was napping almost constantly as well and was grateful that the sailors seemed to think that that was just his personality.

“Hyungwon-ah!” The siren jolted awake when Hyunwoo called his name. The man practically jumped up the gangplank, holding something wrapped in cloth.

“I got it back,” he said, chest heaving as he presented the trident to Hyungwon with a wide smile. Hyungwon eagerly took it back and gasped at the surge of energy that ran through him the moment he touched it.

“God, I could kiss you right now,” he mumbled, running his fingers over the metal that he had missed so much. To his surprise, that was exactly what Hyunwoo did.

The captain’s lips were plush and warm, if a little chapped. The kiss was chaste, but Hyungwon still found himself closing his eyes and leaning into it.

“Wow,” he whispered when he pulled away, “what was that?”

“Instead of fighting pirates,” Hyunwoo said, eyes sparkling happily, “why don’t you become one? I lost two crew members recently, so there’s an opening.” Hyungwon laughed loudly and pulled the captain in for another kiss. It seemed losing his trident had worked out in his favor after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Some clarifications:  
> \- Wonho was the one who nearly jumped ship in the beginning. His lover, Kihyun, recently passed away and Hyungwon happened to catch his moment of grief. Hyungwon was singing Hyeya.  
> \- The song Hyungwon was singing when Kwangji was killed was Cracks of My Broken Heart by Eric Benet, which is what Yoosu sang during the first round of No.Mercy.  
> \- In this particular AU, people hear sirens in the voice of the person they love most. For little kids, that means their parents/siblings/best friends. Once they have their first romantic love, however, it becomes exclusively romantic. Shownu is not aromantic, although I did consider that. He merely never had the opportunity to find love.


End file.
